Tuesday, September 6, 2011

09/06/2011
United States diplomats
stationed in the country offered an interesting insight into how Gloria
managed to cling to power despite the many allegations of abuse and
corruption during her term and that her endurance was mostly the result
of the labor export policy then, and which Noynoy is pursuing now.

In
an analysis of the masa phenomenon contained in a Wikileaks cable, US
officials saw Gloria’s promotion of massive export of labor as not only
providing the needed economic benefits of some $1 billion that enters
the country every month consistently but also depriving forces arrayed
against her during the period when practically the whole nation was
calling for her to step down with the critical mass in terms of bodies
on the street that led to the toppling of previous administrations.

The
some 10 million Filipinos working overseas not only meant 10 million
potential protestors neutralized but also 10 million less Filipinos to
provide employment in the almost stagnant domestic economy under her.

The
much-hyped 7.4 percent growth in 2007 and Gloria’s claim that the
economy never contracted during her term was all the result of mostly
private spending..... MORE

09/06/2011
Controlling the lump sum
budgets of the different but co-equal branches of government by
Malacañang, through Noynoy’s Budget and Management chief, Butch Abad,
certainly is a throwback to the Marcos martial law years, when only the
Office of the President controlled everything.

Malacañang, as Abad
wishes, wants full control of the judiciary, congressional and all
constitutional offices to the extent of ensuring that all their heads
would have to come begging to Malacañang for funds which are really due
them.

The sinister agenda of Noynoy and Butch Abad clearly is to
take full control of their budget allocations, in order to ensure the
judiciary and the legislature’s subservience to the executive power,
which also makes Abad very, very powerful.

Simply stated, if they
don’t give in to the whims and caprices of Noynoy and Abad, they won’t
get the funds that are allocated to them..... MORE

09/06/2011
Last Friday I set out to
vocalize and practice my songs for the September episode of “Aawitan
Kita sa Makati,” and then went around my room wondering what it was I
had set to do. And then during dinner, I saw someone whose name I could
not recall, I only knew I liked her and respected her. It was a good
thing that by the time she dropped by our table to greet us, I
recognized the feisty Emily Abrera, chairman of the Cultural Center of
the Philippines.

Forgetting doesn’t happen every day, but
remembering is becoming harder and harder, what with the new and yet
newer things we’re being made to use in this modern age. My mother, I
think, had it easier, in her time. I mean, how long was the typewriter
the typewriter?

The brain needs to be comfortable, to learn how
to operate machines and utilities, and having learned to operate it, use
it long enough. Like, as I said, the typewriter. I learned to use it in
Grade VI, to all the way in high school, college, as a young housewife,
and as a film and TV producer..... MORE

09/06/2011
Last week, this column noted
the prediction by Charter change (Cha-cha) advocates that foreign direct
investments would increase threefold if the constitutional restrictions
on foreign ownership were removed. As reported in the Philippine Star
on Aug. 16, in 2007 Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam
were way ahead of the Philippines in this regard.

It occurred
to this outsider that if it could be shown that the constitutions of
some of the named countries were just as protective as that of the
Philippines, this particular argument might be sent spiraling earthward.
(On Aug. 19, Herman Tiu Laurel’s column performed the same public
service by looking at investment laws.)

Thailand may be one of the
few countries in the world whose constitution is blatantly framed on
behalf of the private sector. Section 84 (1) obliges the state to pursue
economic policies by “encouraging a free and fair economic system
through market mechanism, ensuring the development of economics in
sustainable fashion by repealing and refraining from the enactment of
laws, rules and regulations controlling business which do not correspond
with the economic necessity, and refraining from the engagement in an
enterprise in competition with the private sector unless it is necessary
for the purpose of maintaining the security of State, preserving common
interests, or providing public utilities…”.... MORE

09/06/2011
Last week, the executive and
the judiciary figured in a clash over the issue of the hiring budget for
additional personnel. While the executive, through the Department of
Budget and Management (DBM), wants the latter’s hiring budget be placed
under its control, the judiciary insists it does have fiscal autonomy as
enshrined in the Constitution.

In its argument, the DBM contends
that the hiring budget for additional personnel had been the subject of
abuse by almost all government agencies, a classic case is the
conversion issue on the part of the Armed Forces of the Philippines,
which, after failing to fill up its vacancies, reverted its unused
hiring budget to savings, converting it later for other expenses
including hefty remunerations for AFP officials.

So, for the sake
of “transparency,” the DBM demands that it should control the hiring
budget not only of the judiciary, but of the other government branches
as well, including Congress.

But while it is clear that
controlling portions of the budget of other government branches and
constitutional bodies that happen to enjoy their fiscal autonomy is a
violation of the 1987 Constitution, the executive must have another
compelling reason to impose such demand. And Sen. Joker Arroyo was right
when he said that whoever thought of the said scheme must have a very
devious mind because the control of the government depends upon the
budget..... MORE

09/06/2011
Considering that gambling —
be this legal or illegal —can be anything but noble and ennobling, it is
sad that Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) would now even
go to the extent of exploiting the innocence and enthusiasm of young
people in order to promote its long since questionable management as
well as dubious operations.

Lately, it is trying hard to launder
its much tarnished name and covetous agenda by loud and sustained
publicity about its concern and generosity in the education of children.
Now, it is going to the extent of staging a “Ms. Casino Filipino”
contest allegedly to promote this or that salutary program.

With
malice toward none, with good toward all, it could be both relevant and
significant to bring to mind even but the following “minor” matters —
all in conjunction with Pagcor:

Where is Bentain? What happened to
him? How come there is still great silence about him as if he
disappeared into thin air? If he were still alive and allowed to talk,
what would he say?.... MORE

This was reported by the Tribune in 2000, but then Jaime Cardinal
Sin, along with former President Corazon Aquino, rejected the call of
the Vatican not to meddle in the political affairs of a country nor lead
and join street protests against Estrada.

At that time, even the
papal nuncio joined the anti-Estrada protesters and the elite civil
society, along with the coup plotters, to oust Estrada. The papal nuncio
was on the Edsa stage, together with the Sin and the Supreme Court
justices, all hailing Gloria Arroyo.

Apparently, the bishops then led by Sin defied the Vatican and the papal wishes, and went on to oust Estrada.

It
was then that the bishops alienated themselves from the Filipino
masses, as another protest, this time staged by the masses, was rejected
by the bishops, priests and religious, turning against the masses, and
calling them “unworthy to be in sacred holy ground,” apart from calling
them the “smelly” and the “unwashed.”..... MORESource: The Daily Tribune

09/06/2011
Irked at how a leaked United
States Embassy Philippines cable painted an unflattering picture of him,
President Aquino yesterday said the US needs to get better sources of
information after the leaked US secret cable described him as “diffident
and unassertive.”

Aquino said the unflattering description,
published by anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks, would not affect the
country’s relations with the US, a close ally, but remarked that the US
should improve its intelligence.

In the cable, dated
Jan. 22, 2010, then US ambassador Kristie Kenney described Aquino — a
senator at the time — as “a diffident, unassertive man” carrying on his
family’s political tradition in his quest to become president.

“Maybe
they should assess their (US) capabilities to assess and gather the
necessary information so they will get the right information on which to
base their decisions,” Aquino told reporters..... MORE

Despite
an earlier denial, President Aquino admitted yesterday that he is set
to travel to the United States and Japan this month right after his
five-day State Visit to the Peoples’ Republic of China where he tagged
along around 200 businessmen and around 70 cabinet members and
secretariat staff.

Before his China visit, the President has
visited Vietnam, United States, Japan, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand
although he is just a little over a year in office.

Aquino’s
admission came only a few days after deputy presidential spokesman
Abigail Valte retracted her pronouncement that the President is also set
to go to the US and to Japan and claimed that the President has pending
invitations for the two countries but has not given his green light on
any of them.

But it now appears that Valte’s retraction was a mere
attempt to downplay observations that Aquino has been bitten by travel
bug as Aquino himself confirmed after administering the oath of newly
appointed government officials that he will be going to the US to attend
the formal launching of the new international anti-corruption group
called the Open Government Partnership (OGP) and after which, he is also
set to go to Japan for an official visit..... MORE

The
enactment of the controversial Reproductive Health (RH) bill is an
alleged “condition” being imposed to the government by some
international organizations, Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III
said yesterday.

Sotto, however, was quick to add that this is
still a raw information but he is now in the process of verifying this
particular report.

“I will expose it when I have more details,” he
said, adding that he is also awaiting the submission of the list of
supposed lobby groups pushing the Senate’s approval of the measure,
believed to have set aside huge amount of lobby funds or purported to be
some pharmaceutical companies.

As this developed, a move has been
taken by proponents of the measure in the upper chamber to expedite the
floor debates and ensure its inclusion in the daily order of business
of the Senate.... MORE

By Gerry Baldo 09/06/2011
The reports
about the involvement of former President Gloria Arroyo and her husband
former First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo in illegal transactions and
syndicates are not new.

According to San Juan Rep. Joseph Victor
Ejercito, the reports released by Wikileaks are not new only that the
people during her administration were reluctant to talk about the
illegal activities and file charges against them.

“We have been
saying these all along — but because they (Arroyos) were in power,
nobody dared go against them. Maraming pipi at bingi during their time,”
Ejercito said yesterday.

Ejercito stressed that now is the time for the Arroyos to face the charges against them..... MORE

By Pat C. Santos 09/06/2011
Controversial
running priest called the action of a Mandaluyong judge who issued
temporary restraining order (TRO) as highly irregular citing that it is
hard to understand for a judge to issue such an order stopping the noble
intention of promoting healthy living for the inhabitants of Metro
Manila.

This was the statement made by Fr. Robert Reyes during the
press briefing held at the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority
(MMDA) ground yesterday after they held the organized protest run
together by the Philippine Medical Association (PMA) and other known
personalities as expression in support to the MMDA for campaigning on
smoking ban in public places.

“It is highly irregular and people must rally behind this good intention, especially the youth,” Fr. Reyes said.
Yesterday
protest run started at Makati City Hall at 7:30 a.m., then went to N.
Garcia Elementary School, Makati, then to J. Magsaysay Elementary School
also in Makati, and finished at the MMDA Orense, where they were
welcomed by MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino followed by press conference
at 11 a.m..... MORE